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The no reload challenge (spoiler warning)

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  • PantalionPantalion Member Posts: 2,137
    @belgarathmth

    What a coincidence, seeing as I was just about to post reporting that I died to a critical Fire Arrow to the face whilst fighting at the top of the Iron Throne and asking if you wanted me to finish it anyway.

    Yeah, I've actually had quite a bit of fun with my first pure class/mage, and the only mage in my party to ensure she handles all the casting.
    I typically expect my mages to sit at the back and cast single spells that win entire fights for me (or bust out with Wands, which are frankly superior for blasting) rather than have them wasting spell slots on fights that are already won, I probably cast less than most "magic missile every fight" types.

    That said, I'm actually surprised how few surges I've had this run through, I don't think I've had so many as twenty surges yet and Sleep/Emotion are still spells I bust out almost every combat.

    Up to 109 MB worth of screenshots at this point, compressed. How do you want it when I'm finished?
  • BelgarathMTHBelgarathMTH Member Posts: 5,653
    edited December 2012
    @Pantalion, could you maybe just post a few of the most interesting ones, especially the wild surges? The style I'm used to seeing documented runs in is here:

    http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/181/index/3124065

    EDIT: @Pantalion, well, it looks like Grond0 has beat you to it. See p. 269 of that thread for his wild mage run. He was also somewhat surprised at how few wild surges happened, since he was casting Web liberally throughout the game. So, I guess I will admit that wild mages are not as dangerous in practice as I had thought, at least in BG1.

    I read a wild mage run once in the BG2 no-reload thread, and disaster struck that guy at least three or four times. He did three seperate runs before he gave up on the idea of it being possible to do a no-reload BG2 run as a wild mage - he did get really, really far in each time, though. If I recall correctly, one of his deaths happened in Watcher's Tower, and another against Irenicus near the end of SoA.

    I've been online friends and an avid reader of that particular group of people for years, and I see them as authorities on the subject of what is possible in BG. If you are getting interested in no-reload runs, I highly recommend joining them over there.
    Anton
  • PantalionPantalion Member Posts: 2,137
    Well, if you no longer require the pictures, I guess that saves me some work and I'll just finish off the dregs of the last chapter when I can be bothered. I can't complain for the play experience though, Minor Sequencer - Chaos Shield / Nahal's for early, cheap, Cloudkills has turned out actually to be semi-reliable somehow.

    Maybe when EE2 comes out I'll give it another go, see if I can't pull it off then, with more means of handling surges, better saves and more hitpoints to survive it, it seems strange that it would be impossible to do so.
  • IgnatiusIgnatius Member Posts: 624
    The no-reload challenge of Amind (Halfling Priest of Lathander) and his party (Ajantis, Imoen & Neera) failed miserably at the hands of Larze the Ogre assassin.

    We had cleared Cloakwood mines and defeated Davaeorn in style (silence + dispel magic). Ajantis and Amind went in melee vs Larze while the party was tired and spell-less. The ogre hits really hard and targeted the PC. Very poor decision-making, healing spell disrupted, took too long drinking a healing potion while Larze was dealing 17-19 damage every time he hit and by the time I decided Amind had to be withdrawned from the battle, a critical hit landed right then and boom, end game.

    Depressing way to end a run, really.

  • SeveronSeveron Member Posts: 214
    @bbear I would consider reloading an auto save or wherever you did make the save as I consider that a glitch.
  • WanderonWanderon Member Posts: 1,418
    Ignatius said:

    The no-reload challenge of Amind (Halfling Priest of Lathander) and his party (Ajantis, Imoen & Neera) failed miserably at the hands of Larze the Ogre assassin.

    We had cleared Cloakwood mines and defeated Davaeorn in style (silence + dispel magic). Ajantis and Amind went in melee vs Larze while the party was tired and spell-less. The ogre hits really hard and targeted the PC. Very poor decision-making, healing spell disrupted, took too long drinking a healing potion while Larze was dealing 17-19 damage every time he hit and by the time I decided Amind had to be withdrawned from the battle, a critical hit landed right then and boom, end game.

    Depressing way to end a run, really.



    Sorry to hear about Amind - it's easy to forget how long a heal spell takes to cast (thus making it relatively easy to disrupt if the caster is getting beat on) and one dangerous side effect of getting a party all the way to Cloakwood with no reloads is we often become overconfident with our PCs - in my case I haven't managed to get a character to chapter 3 yet without a reload in BG:EE LOL good luck with your next attempt!
  • IgnatiusIgnatius Member Posts: 624
    You're right about finishing Cloakwood, it's happened to me several times that once I reach the big city I feel strong and confident that I can breeze through most battles without being extra careful. I completely underestimated Larze, he has a very good THACO (Amind had AC-6) and deals a LOT of damage per hit. Still, by all means an easy fight if taken seriously...
  • IgnatiusIgnatius Member Posts: 624
    Going for another solo no-reload and in comes SPESALVI, the Chaotic Good Human Cleric.

    Had a good roll of: Str.13 - Dex.18 - Con.16 - Int.12 - Wis.18 - Cha.12

    Spesalvi wields a staff and a sling, wears no helmet and likes to travel light, wearing a splint mail. He tries to avoid combat altogether, especially melee.

    At lvl.1, Sanctuary & Command are my friends and help go through ennemy ranks unscratched.

    At lvl.2, Hold Person & Silence are most often cast. They got rid of Karnat (held), Tarnesh (silenced), Mulahey (silenced+held), Nimbul (silenced+held).

    I got hold of the 4 items I consider most important for that type of solo-run:

    - Wand of Sleep
    - The One Gift Lost (or "necklace of missiles")
    - Greenstone Amulet
    - Wand of the Heavens

    I just had a very interesting fight vs Tranzig. I cast mindshield, engage conversation then retreat in the corridor. He cast armor, then melf's acid arrow and disrupts my 1st silence spell. I manage to cast a 2nd silence: he's mute. Wounded by the acid arrow, I drink a healing potion while he comes forward with his staff and boom - he delivers a critical, dealing 16 damage and has me down to 3HP. Damn. I run, down the inn, outside the inn and he follows. Hits once, hits twice: misses. I drink another potion, then run around striking him with the wand of heavens hoping that silence will last long enough. He is near death and I see him... start casting a spell, and I know that spell will probably kill me. I've just used a wand charge so using another special item will take a full round, I go for weapon. I wield my sling, roll a 16, the bullet hurls towards the evil mage - and it's a hit, he's dead.


    vekkthBelgarathMTH
  • WanderonWanderon Member Posts: 1,418
    LOL you don't think solo no reload is challenge enough wearing a helmet? (protects from critical hits)
    Good luck!
  • DerDuKeDerDuKe Member Posts: 88
    How do you all avoid dying to a random opponent at the very beginning of the game? Is there a well known way to level up quite quickly without too much fear of bad luck during a fight? Sorry, I am still a BG beginner and need to learn a lot. Finished it once, will finish it again and again during the wait for BG2. Thanks in advance for your help and good luck with your hc chars!
  • moopymoopy Member Posts: 938
    edited January 2013
    @DerDuKe

    If you go to the basilisk area (east of the temple) you run into a Ghoul that will join you. He is immune to petrification so you go around and have him tank the basilisks for 7 lesser basilisks, 2 greater basilisks, and the mage with the basilisks.

    If I'm right on their xp values (1800 lesser, 4500 greater, 1200 mage) that is 22,800 xp right there.

    This requires knowing where the basilisks are going to be so you send the ghoul ahead of you and don't end up petrified. If you get a protection from petrification scroll or are a mage with that spell it is even easier.

    There is a named siren in the area west of high hedge that will kill you instantly upon talking to her (it is a quest thing where you normally send a party member to talk to her but you are solo so...) kill her easily with sleep and ranged, command and ranged, or if you don't have any of those moving and ranged. I back stabbed her with a staff once ran back before she could talk to me and used a bow once or twice and she was dead. This is worth 5,000 xp.

    If you can kill the sirens in the lighthouse area without worrying about charm (Berserker, Greenstone Amulet, etc) There are 6 sirens in that zone? Maybe more but I'm aware of 6 without resting. At 2,000 each they are worth 12,000 xp.

    In the cave behind the last of those sirens are 3 flesh golems. Kill them (really easy if you are using a bow and use the poison arrows you just got from killing those sirens) at 2,000 xp each they are worth 6,000 xp.

    If you want to kill the 2 flesh golems in high hedge using the same tactic (this makes the mage there go hostile thus shutting the shop down) that is another 4,000 xp

    Calm down Marl for 900 free xp, and talk to Noober too much for 400 free xp. (1,300 free xp)

    So that total so far is 51,100 xp.

    Edit: This should put you at level 6-7 depending on class, more than high enough to run through the Nashkel Mines, and the Bandit Camp, by the time you get to the Cloakwood Mines you may even be higher.
    DerDuKeDinsdalePiranhaAriathor
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    DerDuKemoopylunar
  • DerDuKeDerDuKe Member Posts: 88
    @moopy

    Wow, thanks a lot for this huge wall of information! Very interesting. :-)

    @Bhaaldog

    Almost sounds like a philosophical saying, I will definitely take it into account for future adventures with my party.
  • moopymoopy Member Posts: 938
    Bhaaldog said:

    I think a key aspect of a no reload challenge is making use of tactical retreats to live to fight another day.

    To that point. At the bandit camp if you don't care about getting the gear that drops. If you are a cleric you can cast sanctuary and just walk in and open the chest and take the letters you need and then walk out.

    Any other class can honestly take an invisibility potion, go get the letters, take another invisibility potion, leave. Substitute the Sandthief ring for potions if you prefer.

    Pantalion
  • PantalionPantalion Member Posts: 2,137
    The moment I capped my Ranger/Cleric was around about the last time I fought anything I didn't have to. Sanctuary is just too awesome for everything.
  • LMTR14LMTR14 Member Posts: 165
    edited January 2013
    even more challenging is a nuzlocke-like run where the party members can't be resurrected at all either (I never played solo). I might do such a run on youtube when I'm done with neverwinter nights ironman

    if somebody does a bg ironman on youtube, pm me, I'm certainly interested in watching it.
  • WanderonWanderon Member Posts: 1,418
    Starting an all thief No Reload with Badenovs's Brigands!

    Two PCs (becuase I didn't want to wait until Chap 5 to get a cleric/thief)

    Leader: Boris Badenov Gnome Illusionist/Thief - 14/18/18/19/10/13 - *crossbow *shortbow
    His lovely wife - Natasha Badenov - Half-orc Cleric/thief - 19/18/19/8/18/8 - *staff * sling

    Boris put all his opening points in open lock and Natasha in find traps.

    So far we picked up Imoen, Xzar and Monty and poor Xzar wandered off in the woods to take a leak and was eaten by a grue - well a diseased Gibberling actually - we plan to bury him behind the Temple at FAI. Going to stick with these four for a while and see how they do and perhaps eventually pick up either Sharteel or Safana and probably Coran in Chap 4 if we get that far. It would be nice to wait until we are high enough level that Sharteel is already level 3 so we could just dual her right away to stay strictly within the all thief theme.

    Having some little glitches where occasionally someone goes off on their own volition instead of going where they have been sent - perhaps from copying the MP save to the SP folder (to avoid all the extra steps starting and stopping an MP session.)
  • szbszb Member Posts: 220
    @Wanderon Probably better to get Shar-Teel as soon as possible because she'll a get proficiency in crossbows or something silly like that at higher levels.
    Deucetipher
  • WanderonWanderon Member Posts: 1,418
    szb said:

    @Wanderon Probably better to get Shar-Teel as soon as possible because she'll a get proficiency in crossbows or something silly like that at higher levels.

    Yeah I'm more or less prepared to accept that - if it leaves her proficiencies too scattered to make her useful I can just let her go - I'm more interested in keeping to the all thief team than in optomizing the individuals - at the moment the current four are doing excellent for all still being level 1 ;-)

  • DeucetipherDeucetipher Member Posts: 521
    @Wanderon
    Shar-Teel will spawn at 2, 4, or 6. Personally, I edited her .cre so she'll spawn as a fighter 2, fighter3/thief4, and a fighter6/thief7, as well as tweaking her proficiencies. If you don't like to fiddle with NI, I could put them up.
  • WanderonWanderon Member Posts: 1,418
    edited January 2013

    @Wanderon
    Shar-Teel will spawn at 2, 4, or 6. Personally, I edited her .cre so she'll spawn as a fighter 2, fighter3/thief4, and a fighter6/thief7, as well as tweaking her proficiencies. If you don't like to fiddle with NI, I could put them up.

    Thanks for the spawn info I was wondering if I could find that someplace - no thanks for the tweaks I'll work with whatever I get - looks like my best bet for dualing her as soon as we get her is going to be level 4 altho I'm not dead set on having her anyway so perhaps by the time we get to those levels I will have settled for Safana or decided to move forward on the main quest with this group of four and grab Coran a bit earlier.

    In other news I was disappointed to learn that not only has Algernons cloak been nerfed but when the pickpocket failed we chased him downstairs and back up again where he disappeared entirely so apparently now there is also the chance you can't get it at all - for my money these are changes that did not need to be made at all -

    Update from Boris' journal: Damn mages are everywhere in Beregost one tried to pay us to kill some thugs which turned out to be innocents - we did it anyway then killed her for lying to us and my sweet Natasha was very grateful for the nice magic staff she dropped when my bolt split her forehead - then not 5 minutes later we run into a crazy wild mage a block away and we just couldn't leave her alive endagering the realms after her pursuers ticked us off and died for their smartass remarks - Imoen is very pleased with the gem bag she was carrying.

    We've been scouring the woods around Beregost honing our weapon skills on the assorted hobgoblins and other monsters hanging around - That hulk of a wife of mine got too cocky with an Orgillion and we had to drag her sorry carcass to the temple - thank the gods that only happened once - those miserable priests charged us 100 gold to raise one of their own when they should have done it free for all the monsters we eliminated from their damn woods.

    Monty is whining about getting to Nashkel - probably has a runty sweetheart down there so we better head south in the morning or I'll never hear the end of it - if he screams AND THE RIVERS RUN RED right in my good ear one more time I'm going to turn him into a toad.

    Post edited by Wanderon on
  • IgnatiusIgnatius Member Posts: 624
    @Wanderon: a solo no-reload without a helmet, with a class that could wear one, is indeed a little crazy. Spesalvi has been hit very hard by a few crits, mainly from archers; a back-to-back critical would have killed him several times.

    Good luck with your Badenov duo ! hum... a Gnome married to an Half-Orc... that is most certainly unheard of!

  • IgnatiusIgnatius Member Posts: 624
    edited January 2013
    I am sorry to report that Spesalvi, the CG Human Cleric, is... dead.

    After clearing out the Bandit Camp and raiding Cloakwood sanctuarized before falling like a ton of bricks on Drasus & party, Spesalvi had forgotten that it is unwise to melee a sirine. He had silenced a group of them and was happily wacking the pesky creatures with his staff, when one of the sirine hit and confused him (INT reduced to 3...). End of story.
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  • szbszb Member Posts: 220
    Bhaaldog said:

    Waylaid by enemies at level 1 on the way to the Friendly Arm Inn. 3 half-ogres and 5 bandit archers. All arrows hit the instant before I tried to click the invisibility potion. I think it was the arrow to the knee that finished my bard. Challenge over.

    I always use autopause on enemy sighted in no reload runs.
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  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,675
    edited January 2013
    The user and all related content has been deleted.
  • WanderonWanderon Member Posts: 1,418
    Badenovs Brigands worked their way down to Nashkel so Monty would stop whining and then headed off to the west with Boris muttering he was a gnome not a dwarf to go crawling around in any mine tunnels.

    A recent report from a rather sleazy looking magic vendor said he saw them murder an entire xvart village and when he attempted to sell them some of his wares the bloodthirsty brigands threatened to take them from him by force. His account of the battle that followed has been bandied about the taverns with glee as 3 of the four were running around like gibberlings under his horror spell and the gnomes lightning wand could not get through the vendors magic resistance potion he had just offered to sell them before he was picked apart by magic missles - the half-orc fell to another blast of missles and the halfling died screaming something about rivers running. He didn't bother to chase the girl in purple and last time he saw her she was running towards the coast as if the hounds of hell were chasing her....

    Sigh... silly mistake - I'm not sure I ever tried threatening Borda before - I just checked out a walk-through that suggests only higher level parties should attempt it - I guess a party of 4 level 2 thief types that had already used up most of their spells on the two bears in the village wouldn't qualify...

    I loaded and re-saved the last auto-save in case I want to continue with a minimal reload game later but for now I think I may go roll me up up another no-reload group...

    Maybe something I can use some of the new NPCs for altho a wild mage in no reload may not be the best option for success.

  • WanderonWanderon Member Posts: 1,418
    edited January 2013
    Meet Brilini Brightbow!

    I was fooling around with several different characters but when I rolled up an elven archer and the first stat roll was this (after re-arranging) 18/90 - 19 - 17 - 12- 14 - 8 I figured this is the one!

    Gave her **longbow *long sword and *single weapon style to start - Gotta love 14 THAC0 with composite longbow with 5/2 attacks at level 1...

    ---------------------

    From Brilini's Journal: What a harrowing few days it has been - first Gorion is killed protecting me from who knows what then Imoen shows up and we almost get eaten by two wolves and a bear before finding Gorions body. We met a couple of real winners called Xzar and Monty who were beaten to a pulp by an ogre we finally slew and we carried their broken bodies to the FAI where we slipped quietly down along the fortress walls and laid them beneath a couple of trees. Imoen was gathering some stones to cover them up when she found an odd looking ring but neither one of us can get it to go on a finger even tho it looks like it should fit - we are keeping it until we can afford to get it identified.

    We made our way to the door of the Inn where were attacked by a mage carrying a bounty notice about ME! We got inside and met Gorions freinds Kahlid and Jahiera who managed to calm me down and we have joined up with them for now. We removed some hobgoblins from the area of the FAI and are leaving for Nashkel in the morning. I plan to lead the group from the rear and keep a very low profile - Imoen is proving extremely useful as our party trader haggling with the merchants like an old pro - who knew?

    _________________________

    So far so good - no definate party plan as of yet - may pick up Kivan - or maybe not - will have to pick up Neera at least long enough to borrow her purse and may swap her in and out a bit just for fun.

    ----------------------

    Update: On to Beregost picked up Neera and crossed the following off our list: Karlat, Silke, Marl, the over zealous FF guard (S of Beregost), Mellicamp (wow the second time in about the last 10 it succeeded), Halfling sword, Mirianne and Firebead.

    Probably a jinx to say so but no one has died yet & everyone is level 2 except Kahlid and Neera. I'm pretty set on picking up the Stupifier and then grabbing Branwen to fill out the group and see where we take it from there.

    FYI playing on core except level ups, & scribing scrolls, (and occasionally the amount of time in between it takes to remember to turn it back from normal to core). LOL
    Post edited by Wanderon on
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